The No. 15 University of Michigan field hockey team (7-5, 2-0 Big Ten) will wrap up its three-game home stand and make a second appearance on the Big Ten Network this week. The Wolverines face Miami (8-3) on Friday (Oct. 8) at 4 p.m. at Ocker Field. The Maize and Blue then steps back into Big Ten play on Sunday (Oct. 10) at Iowa (3-8, 0-2 Big Ten). The game in Iowa City, Iowa, will start at noon CDT and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, with Leah Secondo and former U-M field hockey player Kara Lentz (2003-06) on the call.

The Wolverines won their seventh straight contest with a thrilling 2-1 win over Michigan State on Oct. 1. Michigan then went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Maryland on Oct. 3 before falling 4-3 at Ocker Field.

WOLVERINE BITES

Wolverines Move to No. 15 in NFHCA Poll -- Michigan earned 347 votes in the Oct. 5 Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches poll, good for a No. 15 ranking. It is the highest the Wolverines have been ranked since the Sept. 2, 2008, poll. The Wolverines are one of four Big Ten teams in the top 20 this week; Ohio State and Michigan State are sixth and seventh, respectively. North Carolina took over the top spot in the rankings this week, passing Maryland, which played Michigan this past Sunday (Oct. 3).

Pankratz Returns to Alma Mater on Sunday -- Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz, a 1985 graduate of the University of Iowa, returns to her alma mater for Sunday's (Oct. 10) game against the Hawkeyes. Pankratz played forward for the Hawkeyes and finished her career with 76 goals to list third among Iowa goal scorers all-time. Twice honored as Iowa's Female Athlete of the Year and as a Honda Broderick Sports Award field hockey finalist (1985, '86), Pankratz was also the recipient of Iowa's 1986 Big Ten Medal of Honor as the university's top academic and athletic graduating senior. In addition, Pankratz was named to the 1984 NCAA All-Tournament team when she helped the Hawkeyes advance to the championship game against Old Dominion.

U-M in the Big Ten Rankings -- Freshman Rachael Mack(Bromsgrove, England/Bromsgrove School) and senior Alicia Mayer(Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) are both tied for fourth in the Big Ten with seven goals apiece, according to the latest conference rankings as of Oct. 3. Mayer is tied for sixth in points (17) and is tied for ninth in assists (5). Redshirt senior Paige Laytos(Lititz, Pa./Warwick) is eighth in assists with six helpers. In goal, redshirt freshman Haley Jones(Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) is sixth in the league in saves (30), tied for third in shutouts (3) and fourth in goals-against average (1.35). Her GAA also is 17th in the country, according to the latest NCAA statistics.

Field Hockey to be Featured on BTN's Women's Show -- The Michigan field hockey program will have a featured piece on the Big Ten Network's "The Women's Show" this Wednesday (Oct. 6) at 6:30 p.m. The Big Ten Network spent two days on campus interviewing head coach Marcia Pankratz and senior tri-captains Meredith Way(Lititz, Pa./Warwick), Paige Laytosand Zara Saydjari(Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan Area). The camera crew also attended a preseason practice and had a microphone on Pankratz during the session.

Quick Hits -- Senior Zara Saydjari loves seeing the color green. The senior scored her second and third goals against Michigan State in the 2-1 win over the Spartans on Oct. 1. Saydjari now has two game-winning goals against MSU in her career ... This will be the first weekend of 2010 where Michigan does not play a ranked opponent. Eight of Michigan's 12 opponents this season have been ranked in the top 20 ... Michigan will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak to Iowa on Sunday. The Wolverines last win in Iowa came on Sept. 22, 2006, in a 2-1 win over the Hawkeyes.